The trial of the British Islamic militant charged with the kidnap and murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan was adjourned today after his lawyer demanded more documents from the government.

Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh's lawyer called on prosecutors to hand over copies of e-mails and photos sent to authorities announcing Pearl's abduction. The case was then postponed until April 12.

Scores of paramilitary troops ringed the Karachi Central Jail, where Saeed, 29, and three co-defendants faced the death penalty if convicted.

Saeed, from Wanstead, east London, has already confessed to masterminding the abduction and murder of the Wall Street Journal reporter, but he was not under oath at the time and his statement is not admissible.

Pearl disappeared on January 23 while researching links between Pakistani extremists and Londoner Richard Reid, who was arrested in December on a flight from Paris to Miami with explosives in his shoes.